


Roll For Perception Check

by rowanthestrange_yugihell



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Atem Needs Glasses AU, Fancy Atem, M/M, Sugarbae Kaiba
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 14:51:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10165391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowanthestrange_yugihell/pseuds/rowanthestrange_yugihell
Summary: In which Kaiba fails to see that Atem is failing to see.





	

Kaiba considers himself very perceptive. He has to be, doing what he does - whether that’s pushing the limits of science and technology, or dealing with incompetent employees.

In front of him, Atem is taking his newest accessory on and off with a look of wide eyed wonder that Kaiba hasn’t seen since he tried to explain to him that dinosaurs actually existed.

How he managed to miss this is beyond him.

 

When they were in what he prefers to think of as Alternative-Ancient-Egypt rather than Aaru, he got to see Atem in- well, not in his element exactly, but at the very least doing his job. One of the most depressing things he learned was that not only was there life after death, but also work, land disputes, and taxes.

Atem would be called on at all hours to sit and have various deeds and minutiae read out to him, with his expression a mix of extreme boredom and genuine attempt to focus that reminded him of Mokuba trying to do geography homework. He can remember watching Atem’s eyes sliding shut with exhaustion (that he was attempting to disguise as thinking - Kaiba knew that feeling intimately) as the scroll went on, and on, and on. He was somewhat amused by the fact that Atem had managed to mitigate the problem the same way he had, except his own Text-To-Speech was a computer program, rather than an exercise of ‘Pharaoh’s privilege’.

 

When they got back, Kaiba supposes he was too focussed on what Atem was doing, to see what he _wasn’t_ doing. Testing out some of his more state-of-the-art duelling technologies; playing endless video games hanging upside-down on the couch, his legs hooked over the back; being so complimentary to his tailor that she kept spontaneously sending Atem incredibly fashionable and perfectly fitting clothes, probably with price tags that could make even _him_ wince. Logically he knows he should still wince anyway, because it’s his money she’s using, but they have an agreement that she makes everybody under his roof look fantastic, and he blindly pays without asking for an invoice. 

 

He didn’t think much of it when Atem spent three days straight with earbuds in his ears and staring off into space, even while eating. Atem seemed to be taking his opportunity of being both fully alive and free to do whatever he wanted to absorb everything he could find, and Ancient Egypt didn’t have Spotify. 

The following day, when Atem told Mokuba to throw him a bag of chips and Mokuba told him to get them himself, the joke of Atem’s pointed finger and cry of “Accio!” which made Mokuba laugh and chuck them at him, went over his head along with the snack. If it hadn’t, perhaps Kaiba would’ve wondered when Atem had found the time to read Harry Potter, particularly when he’d never seen him pick up a book.

 

They were on one of their rare excursions out, walking back rather than using a car. Kaiba in his slightly ratty Kaiba Land hoodie, trying to avoid notice while walking next to the world’s most well-dressed Yugi Muto cosplayer.

Yugi had come up with a new game idea, which was the reason Kaiba told himself he went along. He knew he was going to end up employing him at some point, it felt almost inevitable. He fiddled with a pack of cards as he considered various options as to how he could get Yugi to set himself up as a limited company - KaibaCorp didn’t employ freelancers - without making it seem like he actually wanted them to work together.

Atem had ripped his open and was having a shuffle. He was always rather gloomy and taciturn after leaving Yugi, and Kaiba had found a booster pack or two didn’t go amiss for either of them. And it was supporting a local business. Nothing to do with that new card smell and his dragon-like urge to hoard things.

Atem flicked through them quickly, Kaiba knew he knew them off by heart. Then he paused at a magic card.

“New,” Kaiba said with a quick glance up. “Only released last…” He tailed off. Atem had stopped walking and was holding it out and squinting. Mouthing the words as he read. Or tried to. 

“Can you not see that?” He said slowly. 

“Of course I can see it.” Atem snapped at him.

“I mean can you read it?” He clarified, with a patience he didn’t feel. All he could think of was the fact that he’d apparently been duelling (and losing) against someone who couldn’t even read the damn cards for the last three months. He sighed and opened up a map on his phone.

 

About forty five minutes later sees them walking out of an opticians, as Kaiba has a slight existential crisis and Atem fiddles with a pair of stylish glasses; happily reading his cards, his phone, and every passing window display. Atem catches him staring at him in the reflection of the glass pane, and gives him his most annoying smile - the one that somehow always forces him to smile back.

Sometimes there’s a world of difference between being perceptive and being able to see what’s in front of you.


End file.
